Inferno
by MelChanP
Summary: The TARDIS lands in American 2666, twenty years after a brutal chemical war. A local dig site investigates what caused the Silurians to go extinct. Their curiosity will cost them, however, for a lethal disease infects those who investigate. The worst part? Whoever is infected will murder anything he/she sees until the moon is no longer red. M for future content.
1. Chapter 1: One Down

**I do NOT own Doctor Who. BBC does. Just throwin' it out there.**

"How many more meters do we have left?" Jake asked, his glasses catching a reflection of the green and black screen. Joel shrugged, his sleeves slipping to his forearms. Various numbers were visible on one of his arms.

"Just a couple more," Brooke said from behind them, "And we'll be off."

"Hopefully 'cause I'm tired of waitin'." Monte said. Joel turned to face him and softly shushed him. "Really, Joel?"

Patience, Joel mouthed. Monte sighed, "How many meters, Jake?"

"One more," Jake said, "And Joel's right. You've gotta wait."

Monte rolled his eyes. He tapped his lap with a rhythmatic beat as he kicked his feet in his chair. He waited five years to go underground since he volunteered. There's nothing to fear, anyway, for the Silurians were extinct. He looked over at Brooke, who stood behind Jake to observe the screen. She never looked so attractive.

Brooke eyed Monte fidgetting in his seat and smiled. He looked like a young child waiting for his birthday present.

"Zero meters!" Jake said, surprising the crew, "We're good to go!"

"Yes!" Monte said with a wide grin as he jumped up from his seat.

"Monte, get your harness," Brooke said, "We can't risk using the hover disks. They were fried for ages."

"Do we really have a rope that long?" Jake asked as Monte raced off.

"We'll find one. We can't break his impatient heart."

XXXXX

"Let us know when you reach the ground, alright?" Brooke said. She, Joel, and Jake circled the hole with a tranciever in Brooke's hand.

"Roger that." Monte said through the tranciever.

The rope swayed back and forth as he climbed down. The faint glow from the flashlight faded.

"If it gets too hot, come back up so we can give you the thermal injection," Brooke said.

"I already took the shot," he said.

Joel mouthed something to Brooke as she spoke into the tranciever. "Joel says to be careful."

"Careful's my middle name," Monte said, "Nothin' is gonna happ-_whoa!_"

The rope broke where the crane held it, leaving smaller strands of the rope and a falling Monte.

"Oh no!" Jake yelled. Joel covered his mouth in fear and worry.

The screaming stopped just seconds later with a click of the tranciever. "I'm fine, guys! I'm fine! Just kinda, you know, stuck with my back and feet against the sides."

"Phew, that's good," Jake said with a hand on his chest, "Just don't move your legs and you won't fall! I'll go find some more rope. Be right back!" He hurried to the hall to find the supply room.

"How far down did you get?" Brooke asked.

"No idea," Monte replied, "I don't think I can see the ground from here."

"That's what the flashlight's for, goober."

"Right. . .Oh-ho my god!"

"What?" Brooke said, holding her tranciever tightly, "What is it?"

"There's a whole bunch of plants down here!" he said in a surprised tone, "A bit burnt, though. No sign of any other life, either!"

A red glow seeped through the windows leading outside. Joel looked over at it in fear.

"Moon's red again," she sighed, "If it wasn't for our stupid pollution. . ."

"B-Brooke. . ." Monte's weak and strained voice came through the tranciever, ". . .c-come in. . .Brooke. . ."

What's wrong? Joel mouthed, but Brooke didn't even glance at him.

". . .help. . ."

Joel's eyes widened. Brooke appeared unfazed, as if she was used to it. Was he about to fall? DId the injection wear off?

"With what?" she asked.

No response.

"Monte? Monte, come in. Hello?"

Nothing but a barely audiable chuckle.

Joel had a concerned look on his face, but Brooke remained in her same emotionless expression. "Monte?" she asked as Jake came in with a bundle of rope in his hands.

"I don't need your help." Monte said in a rather sinister tone.

"Okay, so you fixed your problem, then?" Brooke asked.

"No no no. Don't you see, Brooke? It's over! It's all over for all of you!" Maniacal laughter erupted from the tranciever.

"What's wrong with Monte?" Jake said, dropping the rope and hurrying towards the hole. Joel shrugged with a worried look.

"Monte. Monte, you don't have to do this." Brooke said.

"Of course I do!" Monte said through his laughs, "No one can save anyone! Everything ends at some point! Everything dies!"

"Monte!" Jake yelled.

The three people flinched as they heard a thud and cricks of bones through the still functioning tranciever. Brooke dropped it in shock.

"_Monte!_" Jake yelled.

XXXXX

With the familiar vroom of the console, the TARDIS landed at the location of the distress call. Neither Amy nor Rory knew exactly what the location is because the Doctor never told them. He simply got an SOS, plugged in the coordinates and went off. Amy, seated in the white chair with her arms folded and legs crossed, asked, "Now are you gonna tell us, Doctor?"

"Should might as well," the Doctor said with a smile as he quickly spun around to face her. He clapped his hands together and said, "We're in Area 9 in the year 2666, which, by the way, is in America."

"Area 9?" Rory said from beside him, "What happened to New York or Utah?"

"All gone. Blown to smitherines."

"How?"

"Well, in 2600," the Doctor explained as he flailed his hands about, "There was a chemical war that destroyed everything. After the war, the states became Areas and were assigned numbers."

"Like Area 9."

"Exactly."

"It's not gonna be a wasteland, right?" Amy said as she stood, "I don't feel like getting dust in my eyes. Or my hair."

"You'll be fine!" the Doctor said as he walked to the door, "It's just a few factories and dumps. We might end up getting asthma from the smoke, but we'll be dust free. Nothing to worry about!"

The Doctor opened the double doors and the group observed the surroundings. The sky wasn't at all the light blue they were used to, just a dark gray. It was quite dark for half-past four, with shadows in every corner. The spots where the houses and banks used to be were on the ground as piles of bricks and stones. Not a single shred of grass was in sight. The trees looked naked without a leaf on their branches. A cold silver fog was up to the group's ankles.

"Looks like something from a post-apocalyptic movie-" Amy said, interrupted by a coughing fit, for the scent of death invaded her nose.

"You alright?" Rory asked as he patted her back, slowly stopping the fit, before entering his own. Amy spat onto the dry dirt. _Can't even talk without tasting smoke_, she thought. The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver from his tweed pocket and pointed it around him, the tip a light green and scanning the area. He flicked the device, the top of it extending.

Putting the Screwdriver away, he put an index finger over his mouth, then did a cutting motion beside his throat with his hand. _Not safe to talk_ was what he was trying to communicate. He then pointed ahead, signalling to go. The couple walked on, with the Doctor following close behind after locking the TARDIS. They had to find the factory, for it was where the distress call came from.

Which one, though? There must be at least twenty in the area.

The trio stopped, startled, after a loud noise sounded. Must have been an airhorn. They looked around in all directions to find the source.

They saw a large building with a sign that read "Area 9 Diggers." The Doctor mentally slapped himself. It wasn't a factory at all. It was a dig site. A brown haired woman, possibly in her forties, stood in front of the building and put her horn away.

The three hurried into the building, relieved that they found the distress call. The woman gestured for them to get inside, which they accepted without hesitation. They couldn't bear the death in the air. As they entered, the woman closed the steel doors. The Doctor gave a thumbs-up, signalling that the air was fresh and it was safe to talk. The room looked large, but only two people were there; the woman and a man against the wall. He seemed traumatized, evident to his quivering.

"Where's everyone else?" Amy asked, "It feels too empty."

"We have one more investigating the hole we dug." the woman replied, "Everyone else is dead."

"Was it the war?" The Doctor asked.

"Apparently, they had extreme mood swings that caused them to kill others or themselves. I'm not sure what's causing it, though. It only happens when the moon turns red."

"What?" the Doctor asked, a thin eyebrow raised, "How can the moon turn red?"

"Haven't you known already?"

"No, we. . ." he paused, trying to think of a proper response, "We were out."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Alright, then," she said, "Because of the twenty-year long chemical war, most of the toxic chemicals reached the sky, causing the moon to turn red at least once every night."

"Got an idea why?"

Brooke shook her head. "No. I'm still concerned about the workers, anyway."

"Can't you take a sample of a body?" Rory suggested, "You can see what's wrong that way."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Rory, you genius!" he said as he gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. Rory wiped it off without a second thought. "Great idea! We should try that. Oh, wait. Where are my manners? I'm the Doctor and this is Amy and Rory."

"Doctor who?" Brooke asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Just the Doctor." he said with a smile, "Got a name?"

"Captain Church," she said, "But you can call me Brooke." She pointed at the quaking man sitting against the wall. "He's Joel. He doesn't talk much. Or at all, really. Shock induced mutism."

"How?" Amy asked, "Was it because of the psycho thing?"

"No. It's something entirely different. He's a survivor of the second holocaust."

Eyes widened, Amy rushed towards Joel and kneeled. "Is it true?"

Joel pulled a sleeve down to his elbow, revealing a line of tattooed numbers. She gaped as she looked at his eyes. They looked tortured, but had a glimmer of hope. She placed a hand on his shoulder, halting his shivering. "Are you okay?" He nodded and smiled, bringing joy to her heart.

His smile quickly faded. Don't trust Brooke, he mouthed.

"Don't trust her?" she whispered, "Why?"

You'll be safer.

Amy looked over at Brooke as she said, "There's a body inside the infirmary. It's only a couple days old."

"That'll work," the Doctor said as the group headed off, "Come along, Pond!"

Hesitating, she stood and followed the group, beginning to question her trust with Brooke.


	2. Chapter 2: First Night

XXXXX

"Strange," Brooke said as she looked into the microscope. The cells were red, like blood cells, but they had black spikes all around it. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"Rory, you're a nurse," Amy said, "What are they?"

"A nurse, not a scientist," Rory said, "But they might be bacteria, and not the good kind."

"So it's a type of sickness." the Doctor said.

"Maybe."

"If it is, there's a cure," Brooke said, "I don't know of one, though, because I've never heard of it."

"Can't you develop one?" the Doctor said, "You have the materials, right?"

"I think so, and I'll try," Brooke said as she carefully removed the thin glass slide, "I'll head to the lab."

"Hang on," Amy said, "Can you tell us what the hole's for?"

"We got curious about what happened after the Silurians got extinct, so we decided to see."

"The disease might've killed them off," Rory said with a shrug, "Just a thought."

"A good one, though."

Brooke exited the room with the slide, leaving the trio inside the room. Amy folded her arms and said, "I don't trust her."

"Why?" the Doctor said, "She's developing a cure for the disease."

"I know."

"So why don't you trust her?" Rory asked.

Amy walked to the calander hanging on the wall and pointed at the previous day. "Look, 'Successfully drilled to center of Earth.' She said that her crew was killed, right? It can't be on the same day."

"It could," Rory said, "It might've been an epidemic."

"Hold on," the Doctor said, "Amy might be up to something." He reached for a file cabinet and opened it, revealing folders arranged to look like a closed accordian. He took the folder labeled "Fatalities" and opened it. All there was inside was a seemingly endless onslaught of papers and records. There must have been many workers before the disease. He observed the first paper he saw and read it aloud, "'Jacob Arnold; Died of mysterious disease 26 January, 2665.' That's last year."

"What about this?" Rory said as he pulled out another paper from the folder, "'Allison Merriam; Died of mysterious disease 5 March, 2651."

"I don't understand," the Doctor said, "If they drilled to the centre of the Earth yesterday, how did the disease kill them more than ten years ago?"

"Time travel, maybe?" Rory suggested.

"Not far enough into the future. What could it be?"

All of their thoughts were abruptly stopped by a bloodcurdling scream. They hurried to the hall to see who it was. Another crew member, possibly. They entered the room that the screams came from. They were right.

A man, at least in his twenties, was against the wall with his knees to his chest, quivering like a child who witnessed the death of a parent. Gesturing for the two to stay, the Doctor raced to the shaking man and got down on one knee. According to the nametag sewn onto his shirt, he was Jake.

"What happened?" the Doctor asked, concern in his voice.

Jake looked at him with wide bloodshot eyes. "The. . .the disease. . ." he said, close to hyperventalating, "I. . .I have. . .the disease!"

"It's okay, you'll be okay. Brooke's trying to make the vaccine."

Jake flinched and looked away when he said "vaccine." His shivering never ceased. Maybe he had a fear of needles.

"I got it!" they heard Brooke say, the thumps of her shoes growing louder. Jake stood and bolted to God knows where. Brooke entered the hall the trio was in, holding a syringe in her hand. "I got the cure to Inferno!"

"In-who-what?" Amy said.

"Inferno, meaning 'Hell,' since that's where we found it. Anyway, we need to get you three vaccinated."

"Can it work on, say, non-humans?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah," Brooke said, "I've tested it on myself first, being a human. Non-humans, I've tested it on a dog, a 'tree' and a Raxowhowhatsit. Why?"

"Just asking."

"So," she said, "Anyone who wants to be immune to the disease should follow me to the infirmary."

XXXXX

Amy and Rory stood beside the closed infirmary door, waiting for Brooke and the Doctor. She chose not to have the vaccine, for she still didn't trust her, and dragged Rory with her. After what seemed like hours, the door opened. The Doctor and Brooke exited the room, with the Doctor rubbing his upper arm.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Brooke asked, "Did it really hurt that bad?"

"Like a Dalek beam," the Doctor mumbled. He looked at her as he spoke up, "At least I won't get the disease. . .Inferno, right?"

"Right." she said with a nod.

"Quick question: Where's the washroom?"

Brooke pointed towards the hallway beside them and said, "Go over there, head to the hall on your right. Should be the second door to your left."

"Thanks," he said before darting off.

"Washroom break?" Amy asked.

"Probably to handle the side effects," Brooke said, "He might be a bit nauseous."

"Is that why you two took so long in there?"

"Not really," she said as she went back into the infirmary, Amy and Rory following, "He kept interviewing me about the vaccine, like what the side effects are and if it'll work." She closed and locked the door. "A bit supersticious, if you ask me."

"Why'd you lock the door?" Amy asked.

"The moon's gonna turn red any minute," Brooke said, "I thought I'd protect ourselves."

"Without the Doctor?"

"Oh, right. The bathroom stalls don't really lock." She walked to the door, unlocked it and opened it. "I'll go get him. Lock this door, alright?"

She exited the room and closed the door behind her. Rory locked the door as Amy said, "What're you doing?"

"Do you plan on dying tonight?" Rory asked.

"What about. . ."

Their arguement stopped when they heard a soft knock on the door. "Is anyone in there?" a sadistic voice said. It sounded like that panicked man from earlier.

Amy was close to screaming before Rory covered her mouth and dragged her to the corner of the room. Jake continued, "Come on. I'm never fond of hide and seek."

"Stay quiet." Rory whispered as quietly as he could. Amy nodded. He moved his hand away from her mouth. A previously frightened man that sounded too sinister to recognize. That could mean that the moon turned red.

And the Doctor, Brooke, and Joel are in serious danger.

All of her thoughts went blank as rapid thumping grew further from the door and someone too familiar screamed. Her eyes grew moist as more thumping pounded on her eardrums. She kept herself from screaming his name.

After a series of thumps, a loud bang cut through the smallest bit of silence there was left, then a thud, then footsteps.

A gunshot.

Someone was shot.

The Doctor might've been shot.

He might be regenerating.

He might not be himself anymore.

He might not be the Doctor anymore.

No.

No no no no no.

"Amy?" Rory said quietly, "Are you. . .are you crying?"

Amy reached up to touch her cheeks. They were moist with an endless stream of tears. With a sniffle, she said, "Rory. . .Doctor. . .he. . .he's. . ."

Rory softly hushed her as he held her in his arms. "It's okay." he said in a comforting tone, "It's okay."

Her eyelids grew heavy, the warmth of his comfort a lullaby. She refused to succumb to drowsiness and sleep until she knew for sure that he was alive.

But it was so warm, so calming. . .


	3. Chapter 3: The Morning After

"All clear, people!" Brooke said, waking Amy up with a start, "It's safe!"

Amy's eyes wandered around the room. She was still in the infirmary. Rory was right next to her, leaning against the wall and still asleep.

"Did we seriously just fall asleep while a killer was on the loose?" she said to herself. A part of her forgot that they were hiding, but she never forgot about the Doctor's fate. She knew that Jake will pay.

She heard a knock, loud enough to wake Rory up.

"Ponds, you in there?" a familiar voice said. She only knew one person that refered to them as "Ponds." Amy immediately opened the door and saw the Doctor, alive and well. No blood in sight. She tackled him with a hug and nearly knocked him off of his feet. Tears of joy poured from her eyes, soaking his jacket.

"Doctor!" she said through her tears, "You're okay!"

"Of course I'm okay," he said with a chuckle, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"We heard a gunshot," Rory said drowsily, "And we thought you were dead."

"Oh."

Amy seperated herself from the hug and wiped her eyes. "If you weren't shot, who was?"

"I dunno," Brooke said, "I'd better find Jake. You can tag along if you want."

As they started to search the building, Rory asked, "Why are we going with her?"

"We almost lost the Doctor," Amy said, "I won't lose him, even if it kills me."

The four stopped when they saw a man sprawled out onto the floor. Blood droplets surrounded him and a revolver rested in his hand. His expresion was blank, his skin pale. A puncture wound was on his throat. Brooke said, "Found 'im. Poor guy must've shot himself."

"Is that part of the disease?" the Doctor asked.

"Sadly, yes."

"But why?"

Brooke sighed. "I'm guessing he couldn't find someone 'worthy' to kill, so he drove a bullet through his throat."

"That's actually sad." Amy said.

"It is," Brooke said, "Especially when it's someone you work with every day."

The Doctor remained silent. He understood how it felt to lose someone close, such as Rose at Bad Wolf Bay and his entire race during the Time War. He found himself wiping his warm forehead as a reflex when he felt droplets of sweat on it and the need to leave the premises immediately. He didn't understand why, though, or why he felt guilty.

It was possibly because he brought Amy and Rory with him, and since they weren't vaccinated, they're in danger of getting infected by Inferno. He might lose them.

Brooke looked up at him. "Doctor? Are you. . ."

"I'm fine," he said, "I was just thinking."

"About?"

The Doctor faced the Ponds. "Getting you two home."

"What?" Amy said, "You can't be serious."

"Look," he said in a low, grim tone, "If the disease takes over you, you're history. I'm taking you home while you're still unaffected."

The Doctor turned and headed to the main door. Realizing that they weren't following, he looked over his shoulder and said, "Come on, you two!"

With an exchanged look to each other, Amy and Rory followed. The trio exited the building, heading straight for the TARDIS. He took out his key and unlocked the doors. Pushing them open, he entered, with the Ponds close behind.

Closing the door behind them, Amy and Rory watched as the Doctor moved around the console like a dancer and put in the coordinates to Leadworth, 2012.

"Any other reason why you're taking us home?" Amy asked as the Doctor had his hand on the wibbly lever.

"It's so I won't lose you two," he said.

As he pulled the lever downward, he didn't hear the TARDIS take off. Not a sound. Nothing changed.

"Uh. . .Doctor?" Rory asked after a full minute of silence, "Isn't it supposed to be shaky and noisy?"

"Yes," the Doctor said, trying again and again to pull the lever, "There's supposed to be a noise after I pull the lever. So far. It. Isn't. Working!"

After another attempt at pulling the lever, the TARDIS hummed in disapproval. The Doctor looked up at the ceiling and said, "What'd you mean you won't go anywhere? I have to get the Ponds home!"

The TARDIS's humming continued in a more arguementative tone. He sighed.

"I know I have to stop Inferno from spreading, I know, I know! But can you at least let me get them home before. . ."

With that, the TARDIS powered herself down, inveloping the whole place in darkness. The Doctor slapped his forehead with his palm.

"Guess that's one way of saying 'no,'" Amy said, "So we're heading back inside, right?"

"No, nuh-uh, not happening," he said, "I've gotta try to get the old girl powered back up and get you two home. . ."

"Doctor."

He stopped talking and looked at her face, which had fierce determination all over it.

"We'll be fine," she said, "Rory and I hid in the infirmary, with the door locked, of course. If we hide there during the red moon, we'll be okay."

He looked down and bit his lip, expecting the translucent console floor to turn into quicksand and consume him. She was right; They could hide in the room and be safe. They'll still catch the disease, however. Brooke claimed that the outbreak happened when the hole was dug, so if they stay away from the hole, they should be fine. He sighed.

"Alright," he said, "You can stay. But! You can't go near the hole."

"What?" Amy asked.

"We don't even know where it is," Rory said.

"Perfect," the Doctor said, "That's great that you don't, but if you do find it, don't go near it."

"Okay. . ?"

"Great. Now, you two go ahead and go. Talk with Brooke for a bit. Have a chat. I'll catch up with you right after I boot the TARDIS back up."

With a confused look, the Ponds opened the doors and exited.

The second the doors closed, the lights flashed back to life. Arms holded, the Doctor said, "Sure. Now you start working."

The TARDIS's hum sounded like a chuckle. He rolled his eyes and raced to the console screen to make sure the Ponds reach the building safely. As they enter the building, he sighed in relief and turned to the doors to follow. He found himself peering at his reflection on the screen. Hair's fine. Bowtie's straight.

Ready to go, he prepared to walk off.

Something strange was in the corner of his eyes.

He looked at the screen again. His eyes appeared to be bloodshot.

It was odd, for his eyes were fine an hour ago. Maybe he was just tired. Maybe it was another side effect to the vaccine.

Whatever it was, the redness in his eyes would go away soon.


	4. Chapter 4: Tainted Tiles

"You're kidding," Amy said as she, Rory, and Brooke stood in the hallway.

"It's all true," Brooke said with a chuckle, "That damn dog of my dad's bit his nose clean off."

"How's that funny?" Rory asked.

"Just wait," Brooke paused to hold in a laugh. "He had to get nose surgery. It's funny because his new nose was about as long as a friggin' carrot."

"Yikes."

"I know. The funny thing's that when I visited him about a week or so after the operation, I said, 'Hi, Pinnoccio.'"

Amy and Brooke bursted out laughing. Rory just grinned.

"How can you say something like that?" Amy asked through her laughs.

"I didn't mean to!" Brooke said, "It spilled out! I swear!"

Amy wiped her eyes as Brooke, out of the blue, asked, "Where's the Doctor?"

"He went to fix the police box outside." Rory replied.

"Huh. I didn't know we even had those here."

Rory turned and walked a few paces before Amy asked, "Where are you going?"

"Washroom. Be right back." The paces became dashes as he went right, heading to his destination.

"Just gotta ask," Amy said, "What're the signs that someone's possessed? Like, when the moon's red."

"Hard to say 'cause no physical changes occur," Brooke responded, "So visibly, we can't tell if they're taken over. The main obvious change is in their personality because they become more ruthless and sadistic, sometimes bloodthirsty."

"So we can't tell at first glance."

"Right."

Amy tapped her cheek with a finger as she thought of another question. "Do you know the symptoms?"

XXXXX

Rory stood in front of the men's door, confused that it's closed. It was usually open. Maybe it was locked. He hoped it wasn't. As he reached for the door, he heard the sound of running water. If someone's in there, then the door's unlocked.

He grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. The first thing he saw was a familiar man standing at a sink and splashing water onto his face.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor looked at him, his face and strands of his hair wet. His hands were surprisingly still. As he stepped into the washroom, Rory said, "I thought you were in the TARDIS."

"She booted herself back up," the Doctor said as he grabbed a brown paper towel from the dispenser beside him, the tear echoing in the room, "All I needed to do was say that we would stick around to stop the outbreak." As he wiped his face and dried his hair, careful not to destroy the quiff, Rory asked, "Are you okay? Your eyes. . ."

"They're bloodshot, I know," the Doctor said, tossing the wadded up paper towel into a distant trashcan like a basketball player, "Either it's a side effect from the vaccine or I'm just really very tired."

"Which is why you're washing your face."

"Exactly. Not really liking it, though, 'cause it's distracting to the task at hand-"

At that moment, the Doctor entered a violent coughing fit. Rory noticed right away that there was no sign of him stopping. "Doctor? Doctor, are you alright?"

Covering his mouth with his hand, the Doctor raised his other hand and gave a thumbs-up. He soon used both hands to cover his mouth. His eyes moistened from coughing so hard. He doubled over as the coughing grew more violent. He had little time to move his hands before something spewed out of his mouth without hesitation. Rory eyes widened.

As the coughing and regurgitation ceased, the Doctor eyed his substance-covered hand. He gaped.

Blood.

Dripping between his fingers.

On the tiles in front of him.

He fell backwards onto the floor like a ragdoll without warning. Rory raced over to his limp body and touched his neck with a finger to check his pulse. _Badum badum, badum badum, badum badum._ A bit slow, but they both still work. He's fine, he thought. He just fainted.

Just fainted.

XXXXX

"How'd you know so muck?" Amy asked, seated on a chair after she heard the symptoms of Inferno.

"About what?" Brooke asked, standing in front of her.

"The disease."

"Oh. Ever since the outbreak, I've been studying it to see what caused it and if I could develop the cure."

"Really."

"Yep. We all learn something new every day." Brooke said with a smile.

Amy, eyebrow raised, asked, "How can you know about the disease, all about it, in only a couple days?"

"What'd you mean?"

Amy walked to the file cabinets and opened a drawer. Pulling out a file labeled "Fatalities," she opened it and took out a paper as she said, "Look. According to this, Inferno was around for more than a couple days."

"It was?" Brooke said, almost dumbfounded, "I never knew that."

"How could you not know? It-"

"Amy!"

Amy stopped speaking immediately after she heard a familiar voice. She knew it anywhere. She and Brooke hurried out of the room and saw Rory with the Doctor beside him. He was unconscious and limp, his arm slung around Rory's shoulder. It wasn't what worried her. It was the blood, smeared on the Doctor's hands and dripping from the corner of his mouth.

Something happened.

"Doctor!" Amy yelped as she dashed to the unconscious man. She looked at Rory. "What the hell happened?"

"I saw him in the washroom," Rory said as he carefully placed the Doctor onto the tile floor, "He puked blood and passed out."

Amy's eyes widened.


	5. Chapter 5: Too Terrible to Hear

The Doctor's eyes fluttered open, the blinding ceiling light being the first thing he saw. He noticed Amy kneeling near one side of him and Rory on the other. Their voices were muffled, but turned more clear. He blinked away the blurriness in his eyes to sharpen his vision.

"-ose are the symptoms, huh?" Rory said.

"Yeah," Amy said, "And I'm really worried that he. . ."

She looked down with big eyes and saw the Doctor, wide awake and listening to the conversation. "Doctor!" she and Rory said in unison.

"Hello, Ponds," the Doctor said with a worn out tone, "Can you help me up, please?"

Without hesitation, they each grabbed the Doctor's hands, ignoring the blood, and pulled him back to his feet.

"You have no idea how worried I was," Amy said as the Doctor wiped the blood off of his face with a sleeve.

"Oh, believe me, I know."

The reunion was cut short when they heard Brooke mutter something under her breath. Curse his curiosity. "What's that?"

Without turning around, she said a little louder, "I said your time is over."

"We have to leave?" Rory asked, "We can if you want us to-"

"That's not what I meant," she said.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Then what'd you mean?"

"You'll see."

With her hands in front of her, a red light seeped from the window. The moon outside wasn't white, like it should be. It was a different color, the color of fresh blood.

A sudden surge shot through the Doctor's body as if he was burning from the inside-out. He cried out as he convulsed a single time with a hand grasping his chest. With wide eyes, the Ponds raced to the rescue.

"I wouldn't if I were you," Brooke said, turning around to face the trio and revealing a ruthless look in her eyes, "Get too close and he might as well kill you."

"What?" Amy squealed. The Doctor's other hand rested on his knee as he was slightly hunched over and breathing heavily.

"Don't you get it?" Brooke said, "Inferno's taking him over."

The Doctor gaped in disbelief. There's no way he could be infected. He was vaccinated. There's no way. No possible way.

"The symptoms," he said in a weak tone, "All diseases have symptoms. What are the symptoms for Inferno?"

"Let's see," Brooke responded, "Fever, bloodshot eyes, coughing up blood, clumsiness, and frequent blackouts."

His eyes widened.

/He looked at the screen again. His eyes appeared to be bloodshot./

/The Doctor eyed his substance-covered hand. He gaped. Blood./

/He fell backwards onto the floor like a ragdoll without warning./

It was all coming together. But how? He was vaccinated, wasn't he?

"You wanna know?" Brooke asked as the Doctor began to breathe heavier and tighten his grip on his chest. She must have read his mind. "The vaccination I gave you? It didn't protect you from Inferno. It infected you with it."

"W-" the Doctor tried to say, his words caught in his throat, "Wh-"

He screamed in pain as the burning grew more severe and his hearts throbbed. Something within him crawled up his spine to reach his head. He tried as hard as he could to hold it back.

". . .why. . ?" he finally said.

No response. Just a smile from Brooke.

"Why?" he repeated a little louder.

Nothing. Brooke looked as if she was enjoying his torment.

"WHHYYYY?!" he said once more to the point of rasping his throat.

Sighing, Brooke finally responded, "It's an experiment to see if it works on everyone." She turned and walked off.

The second she left, the disease fought harder for control. He clutched his head with both hands. "Doctor?!" Amy exclaimed as she walked closer to him.

"Run-!" he said.

He heard receding footsteps immediately after. He hoped that they find a place to hide. If he would find them, they would die. He never wanted them to die. Never.

The entity within him fought harder than ever, chipping his true personality away bit by bit. The Doctor tightened his grip on his head, his nails digging into his flesh. He refused to lose control, for if he did, he would become the Oncoming Storm. The Valeyard.

He wouldn't be the Doctor.

He was slipping away too fast. It was too powerful.

He let out a final scream as he lost himself completely.

He couldn't fight it anymore.


	6. Chapter 6: Cannot Run Nor Hide

Amy's eyes moistened as she heard the Doctor's muffled scream. She knew he was trying to fight it as hard as he could. He could do it. He always saved them. He always did.

"Please tell me you remembered to lock the door," Rory said quietly.

"I did," Amy said in an equal quiet tone, "He shouldn't be able to get in."

"Hopefully."

The couple flinched when they heard a bloodcurdling scream. Amy turned the infirmary light off and the two scrambled to the darker corner of the room. The scream sounded raspy and weak. "HELP ME!" the man hoarsely screamed.

They stopped. Everything grew silent. Even Amy's heart made no noise, as if it stopped.

Footsteps.

Light, muffled footsteps.

Coming closer.

Amy covered her mouth before she took the opportunity to scream. She felt a light tap on her shoulder as her husband whispered, "Don't open the door for anyone." She nodded, never moving her hand form her mouth. She never felt so frightened since blindly walking through a forest of Weeping Angels. She never felt so scared of the Doctor. The Raggedy Doctor from childhood.

The footsteps grew louder. He was getting closer.

Too close.

Amy shut her eyes as tightly as she could, held closer by Rory. Her heart pounded against her chest as the footsteps grew even louder. She practically waited for the doorknob to shake.

"Amy?"

She gasped, her eyes open wide. Was the Doctor coming for her? She shook her head. She refused to believe that the moon faded back to grayish white so soon.

She then remembered.

/"Because of the twenty-year long chemical war, most of the toxic chemicals reached the sky, causing the moon to turn red at least once every night."/

The words "at least" echoed in her head. If the moon changed to red, it could change back any time. But it could mean it could turn red more often.

"Amy?" the Doctor called again, "Are you in there?"

Amy stood and raced to the door. As she grabbed the doorknob, Rory loudly whispered, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Can't you hear him?" Amy whispered back, "He's calling for me."

"That doesn't mean he's back to normal!"

"Are you alright?" the Doctor continued, "At least shake the doorknob to let me know you're in there and alive."

Guess we'll have to see if he's back to normal, she thought. Before Rory could object, she grabbed the doorknob and shook it with a loud rattle.

"Amy!" the Doctor said in an excited tone, "Glad to see you! Or, well, hear you. Anyway, are you absolutely okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

Amy just wanted to tell Rory that she told him so. The Doctor sounded too concerned to be controlled by Inferno. But the "spree" was rather quick.

"No, Doctor," Amy said with a smile, "We're fine."

The Doctor sighed in relief. "That's good."

"I know it," she said as she unlocked the door, "Having hurt friends isn't the best, after all." As she twisted the knob until it clicked, ready to open the door, she heard the Doctor speak.

"That's not what I'm talking about."

She raised an eyebrow. Rory stood and raced to her side. "What'd you mean?" she asked as she opened the door. She exited and looked to her side. The Doctor leaned on his side against the wall beside the door. His arms were folded across his chest. His shirt and tweed jacket were stained in dark crimson blood. He had a cold expression on his face.

Amy's eyes widened as she stumbled back. The cold-eyed, blood-soaked Doctor in front of her wasn't back to normal at all.

"What I'm talking about," he said, "Is that since you're fine, killing you will be much more fun."

"W-What?"

The Doctor dropped his arms to his sides, revealing an object in his hand. A rather short scalpel, caked in blood. A crimson drop dripped onto the tile floor like a tear.

"You know," he said, "If an unscathed person would get stabbed by this, they scream louder."

"You don't mean. . ." Amy's eyes welled up with tears. He was faking being back to normal. He lured her to open the door. To come out into the open. Defenseless.

The Doctor raised his weapon and smiled.

"Better run."

Without a sesond thought, the couple dashed down the hall as fast and far as their legs could carry them. Her husband ran a little faster than she did, making her legs work harder to keep up with him. She didn't know if the Doctor was right behind them. She didn't want to know. She just wanted to run.

She looked to her side and saw Brooke, her back facing Amy, standing in front of the red window. "You do know that he won't hurt you, right?" she said, "Those that're infected can't hurt their loved ones-"

"WHY SHOULD I TRUST YOU?!" Amy yelled with an aggrivated tone. She never forgot getting close to gaining Brooke's trust one minute and witnessing Inferno take control of the Doctor because of her the next. She couldn't think of a good reason to trust her anymore. She couldn't think at all. Not at all, for the Doctor was hot on their trail.

As they turned a corner, Amy remembered the Gangers and how the sonic screwdriver reverted them back to the gooey substance. She thought if she could get a hold of the sonic, she could manipulate Inferno into giving up control and bringing the Doctor back.

Amy immediately turned and charged towards the Doctor.

"Amy!" Rory yelled as he skidded to a halt.

"Sorry, Doctor," she mumbled.

She kicked the Doctor right in the gut as hard as she could, causing him to stumble back. No sign of the screwdriver. The Doctor laughed.

"Fighting back, eh?" he said, "Lovely. Too bad you can't do it all night."

"I don't plan too," Amy said. She kicked once more, but in his right knee. She heard the grinding pop as his kneecap moved about. The Doctor exclaimed as he lost his balance and dropped his scalpel. As he fell onto his hands and knees, something fell from his jacket and tumbled onto the floor. The sonic screwdriver. He looked up at her, anger burning in his eyes.

"You'll pay for that, you little bitch!" he snapped in a tone unnatural to his usual goofy attitude. Amy tried to ignore him, her thoughts focused on the sonic and bringing the Doctor back. She needed a way to get to it without getting herself killed.

The Doctor quickly stood and charged. Amy quickly side-stepped out of the way. Instead of tripping over his feet, like what she planned, he continued towards Rory. Rory ran towards him, hand balled into a fist, but the Doctor grabbed Rory's wrist and pulled him to the floor. The Doctor kneeled down, his legs on either side of him, grabbed Rory's throat with both hands and squeezed with all his might.

"RORY!" Amy yelled, her eyes moistened as she heard bones cracking.

"I told you that you'll pay, Amy!" the Doctor said as Rory struggled to pry the slick bloody hands off of his throat, "But I wasn't going to kill you so soon. I thought it would be fun for you to witness his death beforehand. That way, all you'd do is cry. No plans. No screaming for help or mercy. Because in the end, no one can save anyone!"

Amy just stood there, frozen in fear. She couldn't move. The raggedy man she knew since childhood was killing the man she loved. Rory's eyes wandered towards her.

". . .A. . ." he struggled to say, ". . .A. . .my. . ."

"Shut it!" the Doctor said, tightening his grip on Rory's throat. His eyelids began to flutter as he choked and gagged.

With swift thinking, Amy grabbed the sonic from the floor. She whipped around to face the Doctor and pointed the device at him. Pressing a button, the tip of the screwdriver turned green with the familiar whirr. The Doctor exclaimed as he released his grip and stood, grabbing his head. He turned to face Amy as Rory scrambled to his feet and rubbed his throat with a deep breath.

"What're you-" the Doctor said.

"Bringing the Doctor back, you son of a bitch." Amy said as a tear rolled down her cheek. She knew that if it didn't work, he would kill her. Nothing lethal so far. The Doctor had his back against the wall, apparently losing control as each second passed. He cried out as he nearly doubled over.

"Amy," Rory said, "That's enough."

She ignored him. It couldn't be enough. She knew he would be back if he stopped screaming. Nothing so far.

"Amy," Rory said a little louder, "I think he gets it."

"He tried to kill you!" she snapped, tears still in her eyes.

"That doesn't mean you can do this to him!" he snapped back.

"Look, I'm not trying to kill him! This can't even kill! I'm just trying to-"

"I know that!" Rory interrupted her.

"Then what're you saying?" she looked at Rory.

"I'm saying you shouldn't make him suffer like this! I understand that you're trying to bring him back, I do, but not this way! This isn't you! You don't hurt your friend like this, damn it!"

Rory looked down and sighed. "Look, Amy, what I'm trying to say is, well, you're. . .you're torturing him." Amy's expression softened as she watched the Doctor writhe against the wall and listened to his painful screams. Rory was right. What she was doing was torture. "Doctor. . ." she said quietly.

She moved her finger away from the button on the screwdriver, the green light turning off and the whirring noise stopping. The Doctor leaned against the wall on his back, hand still on his head, as he breathed heavily. He looked at her as she lowered her hand.

"I'm sorry. . ." she said quietly.

"Sorry?" the Doctor asked through his panting, "For what?"

Amy's eyes widened as she smiled. It actually worked.

"Nothing," she said as she walked towards him and wrapped her arms around him, not giving a second damn about the blood on his clothes, "Nothing at all."


	7. Chapter 7: Warm Reunion

"You alright, Doctor?" Rory asked as Amy pulled herself away from the hug.

"I'm fine," the Doctor replied, "Well, sort of. Besides the bloody headache, anyway."

"Um. . .About that," Amy said as she looked down, "I had to use your screwdriver to bring you back," she handed the sonic screwdriver back to him, "It looked like it hurt you pretty bad."

"Wait-What?" he asked, total confusion in his tone, "How could that happen? It can't manipulate living things. Unless. . ."

"Unless it's a virus," Rory said, "Viruses aren't alive."

The Doctor snapped his fingers and smiled at Rory. "Rory the genius strikes again!"

He dashed by Amy, the direction to the exit. She turned and asked, "Where are you going?"

"To the TARDIS!" the Doctor said, "Gotta change clothes before the blood stains! Be right back!" He turned left and he vanished from view.

"Such determination," Brooke said from behind Amy, causing her to jump, "And talk about strong will. I've never seen anyone hold on for that long. Why is that?"

"Well, let's see," Amy said, "Maybe it's because he's not human."

"What?" Brooke raised an eyebrow. "How? He looks human. . ."

"Isn't it obvious? He's an alien."

"What kind? My relatives may have heard of him."

"Hmm. . .sonic screwdriver, TARDIS, never says his real name. . ."

"So he's a Time Lord, then?"

Amy's eyes widened. "How-?"

"I've heard stories of Time Lords when I was a little girl. It's amazing! I thought he was just a fairy tale."

"Well get this, sister. He's not."

"Not what?"

Amy jumped after hearing a familiar voice from behind her. She turned and saw the Doctor, his buttoned shirt white and long coat green. She sighed in relief. "Can you stop with the jumpscares, please?"

"Sorry."

"We were just talking about what you are," Brooke said, clipboard pressed against her small chest, "I, honest to God, thought you're human. Amy says you're a Time Lord. You're truly a Time Lord, aren't you?"

The Doctor nodded his head.

"My god," Brooke said in an awestruck tone, "A Time Lord. I'm actually speaking to a Time Lord! And to be the last of your kind, my, that would've been a hell of a challege to find one! At least one to a blillionth of a chance, I'd think-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Rory said, interrupting her fangirl moment, "How'd you know he's the last one? Bedtime story?"

"Pretty much," Brooke replied, "Mom talked about the last pure Time Lord in existance. It was a long time ago, though."

"How didn't you know that he's a Time Lord?"

"I knew there's a Time Lord, but I never knew it was the Doctor! I'd better write this down."

"In where?" the Doctor asked.

"Research records," Brooke said as she wrote, "You know, to see how unique my test subjects are-_oh!_"

The clipboard slipped from her hands, landing on the floor with a clank. The trio eyed her in terror.

Clumsiness.

A symptom of Inferno.


	8. Chapter 8: Brooke's Secret

The Doctor's thoughts went blank as he eyed Brooke, who had a playful smile on her face. How the hell could she drop the clipboard if she seemed to have an iron grip on it?

"Oops," she said in a childish tone.

"The clipboard," the Doctor said, "You dropped the clipboard. How? How can you drop something when you held it nice and firm?"

"Tisk, tisk, Doctor," she said, "Someone has a short-term memory."

"What do you mean?"

"The vaccine? Remember?"

/"Can it work on, say, non-humans?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah," Brooke said, "I've tested it on myself first, being a human-"/

The Doctor's eyes widened.

/"I've tested it on myself."/

He gaped, his voice lost. He couldn't believe what he just heard and remembered. His lips moved, praying that words would form, but nothing came out. Nothing but a hoarse whimper. "Shocking, I know," Brooke said, "Speechless?"

"H-" the Doctor said, his voice finally returning to him, "How-How long-?"

"I'd say since 2650ish."

The Doctor shook his head, as if to reorganize his thoughts. "What else?" he said in a low, demanding tone.

"Of what?" Brooke asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What else have you hidden from us?" he responded, his voice slightly raised, as he stepped closer to her, "What other secrets have you kept from us?"

No answer. Not a sound could be heard in the normally noisy halls. It wasn't what unnerved him, however. It was her refusal to respond.

"_Answer me!_" he yelled, the sudden outburst startling Brooke and the Ponds. Brooke smiled.

"Well," she said, "If you're dying to know." She stuffed a hand into her pocket and rummaged through it. Seconds later, she pulled out a small device. It was as big as a grown man's palm and it was an egg shape. Placed on the center of the device was a red button, about as small as an eyeball. The Doctor eyed it in curiosity, his expression still annoyed.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Dunno," she said, "I never gave it a name."

"What does it do?"

"I'll show you."

Brooke pushed the button with a thumb. His mind was filled with regret. Probably shouldn't have asked, he thought. He turned and saw a reddish light crawl across the floor and up the wall. He glaced at the window in fear.

He felt the burning surge from earlier, only it was more powerful. He cried out in pain as he collapsed to his knees and grabbed his chest. "Doctor!" Amy shrieked as she hurried towards him, ignoring Rory's objections.

"Do you see now, Doctor?" Brooke said, sounding more sinister, "I can decide when the moon turns red with a push of this button."

"You. . ." the Doctor said between breaths, "You monst-" He was interrupted by the burn, which started to feel as if heated coal was inside him in place of his bones. His brain thudded in his skull and became more and more severe as he felt something trying to reach it.

"We're all monsters," Brooke said, "It just depends if we decide to strike or not. Oh, and one more thing, Doctor." The Doctor looked up at her, breathing heavy through clenched teeth.

"You remember Joel and Jake, don't you? The mute one and the young one? Yeah, you killed them."

He gaped, his gaze wavering from hers. he couldn't remember killing anyone, and that was what disturbed him. He remembered the blood on his shirt and jacket before he changed clothes. Brooke continued, "It's true. Jake never killed himself. Inferno never does that. He was shot in the neck, and that was all you. You tore poor Joel to shreds with your bare hands, then stabbed him repeatedly to finish the job. You even made him scream. That was all _you_, Doctor."

". . .no. . ." the Doctor said, ". . .No, you-you're lying! There's no way I-"

His brain felt like it was frying. His hearts pounded rapidly against his chest, the beats muffled in his own ears. The red hot sensation reaching his head turned ice cold.

"Amy," Rory said, "We might need to run."

"But. . ." Amy said, "But the Doctor. . ."

"He's fighting it, but he can't do it forever. Come on!"

The Doctor eyed Amy running in the opposite direction of Rory. Why were they seperated? The thudding increased its intensity as each second passed. His vision blurred and darkened.

All he saw was Amy running for her life.


	9. Chapter 9: Hide From Him

Amy sat in the back of the claustrophobic closet, curled up into a ball. It was dark besides the pencil-wide slits on the door leaking in dim light from the hallway. Cloth rested on her head and shoulders, making some of her goosebumps recede. She took in deep breaths to quiet her loud beating heart; a feat deemed impossible. She was afraid to wipe the beads of sweat from her face because he might hear her. She didn't want to be found. She knew if he found her, she would die. There wasn't enough room inside the closet to squirm past him. She needed a different place to hide.

_Slam!_

Amy flinched when she heard the noise, soft and muffled, the sound of someone slamming a school locker shut in anger. She hoped it was far away.

_Slam!_

Seconds later, there was the sound again. It was slightly louder. She immediately knew what it meant. He's looking for her.

_Slam!_

Amy bit her lip to fight the urge to scream. She needed Rory by her side. She wanted to let him know she was in danger. She knew she couldn't without getting found.

_Slam!_

She was close to reaching for the doorknob to escape, to find help. She had to lean forward to reach it, for her legs were in the way. She needed to move them. They wouldn't respond. Her feet were planted to the ground, refusing to move. She couldn't run. She couldn't scream. She knew she was helpless.

XXXXX

The Doctor slammed another door shut, aggrivated that Amy wasn't inside the room. he had no weapon. Just his hands. He couldn't lose them if he was kicked again. Amy was indeed a girl that shouldn't be messed with. He knew it well. It might've been because she was with Rory. He remembered seeing them run to different halls. They were seperated. Which meant that Rory couldn't help her, no matter how loud she may scream.

He opened a door to another room and eyed it thoroughly. A desk, a fallen chair, file cabinets against the wall, empty beer cans littering the floor, and a name plaque on the desk that read "Captain Church." No person. No Amy. Outraged, he was prepared to slam it shut. When his hand was just centimeters away from the door, his hand couldn't move any further.

He tried again. His hand couldn't get even close to the door.

He felt his control slipping away, his desire to find and kill Amy disintegrating. He knew the moon was still red. It wasn't time yet. It was odd, however, because the slipping control seemed it took a lot of effort. "Don't-hurt-Amy-!" the Doctor said, his voice sounding strained and forced. Those words weren't his. For the first time, he was actually afraid.

The Doctor held his head as he lost more and more of the control he needed to find Amy. He needed to fight back. He never understood why his host was trying so hard to regain control. He stepped towards the next door, his legs feeling like they were ten times heavier. He heard a high pitched whimper come from the door. The Doctor's eyes unwillingly widened. His eyes felt moist.

He grabbed the doorknob with every ounce of willpower he had. His hand couldn't stop quivering. He turned the knob and swung the door open.

Amy sat against the wall of the closet, shaking like a scared child.

XXXXX

Amy looked up and saw his big, teary eyes. His hand was on his head. She could tell he was fighting it. "Doctor-" she said, relieved that the regular Doctor was back.

"Go-!" he said, "Get-Get out-Back to the TARDIS-you'll-you'll be safe-"

"But what about Rory?"

"-Please!"

Amy just stared, not knowing what to do. She feared that he might kill her before she could exit the closet. She thought about waiting it out, but he might not hold on for that long. She scurried out of the closet, a shirt falling off of a hanger, and bolted down a hallway. She didn't know how long he could hold on.

She prayed she would make it to the TARDIS.


	10. Chapter 10: Never Again

Amy ran down every hall she could find, not remembering the way out and to the TARDIS. She couldn't think. She was too focused on her survival.

As she passed a corner, she stopped. Not to rest. Not to see if anyone was following her. It was for something she forgotten.

Rory.

She forgot about Rory.

She held her breath as she heard loud rapid footsteps heading her way.

She ran off purely on instinct, not bothering to look back to see who it was. She saw no point. She already knew. She only knew one person who would be running towards her during the red moon.

As she ran, Amy heard a familiar sound. The sound of an impacted gong underwater. The TARDIS's bell. It must've been helping her to leave the building. The bell sounded again. She found her light at the end of the tunnel. Follow the sound, she thought, follow the sound and I'll be home free.

Amy ran down another hall. The bell was a little louder. She didn't have the energy to smile as she realized she would escape. She would live.

Up ahead were three hallways. She stopped, hoping to catch her breath, and waited for the bell to sound again. The footsteps behind her grew louder and louder, but she couldn't move. She didn't want to. She would rather stay and wait for the bell to sound than run down a wrong hall and have to run back.

The bell sounded in her left ear. The left hall must be the correct one.

Amy darted down the left hall before the footsteps could get any louder. She knew he was getting close. Too close.

She heard the bell again, and it was even louder. The entrance must be close by.

A cramp thudded in her side. Her throat was unbearably dry, making her cough. Each cough increased the pain in her side. Her feet ached in her poorly-chosen boots.

The bell sounded even louder than before. Just one more hallway. One more and she would be safe.

As she took another quick step, she landed on the side of her foot rather than her heel. She barely shrieked as she fell onto the cold floor, stopping the fall with her shaking hands.

The footsteps behind her slowed down, but never decreased in volume. Amy tried to stand up, but her legs were too tired.

"Amelia Pond," her pursuer said in a low, cold tone, "Do you honestly think you can outrun me?"

She hesitantly looked over her shoulder with wide eyes. She wasnted to scream, or at least speak, but her throat was too dry.

"I was expecting you to be faster," the Doctor said, walking towards her, "Joel was more of a challenge. I guess this will work just fine."

He walked to the front of her, her eyes following him, and kneeled to meet her eye level.

"I think," he said, his voice low, "That what you think I'll do is wrong." The Doctor lifted her head up, almost demanding eye contact. "I'm trying to save you. You don't want Brooke to get a hold of you, right? What she'll do is far worse than you can imagine. A fate much, much worse than death itself. You'll wait in unbearable agony decade after decade until you finally die. I won't let you suffer such a fate. If you beg me to put you out of your misery, I'll do it."

Hoarse whimpers slipped from her mouth. The bell seemed more urgent, almost screaming at her to run.

"Much better than nearly endless years of suffering, don't you think?" the Doctor said with a vicious smile. He stood. "But there are only so many ways to kill someone. Maybe I ca-_Agh!_"

He held his head as he doubled over. Amy's eyes glimmered with hope. It must be the real Doctor.

"N-No-!" he said, his voice sounding labored, "You-You can't-I won't-let you-harm-Am-y-!"

He was back. Or trying to be, to be exact. She knew the real Doctor's will was stronger. He could do it. She knew he would. Fight it, she thought, you can do it.

The Doctor's eyes opened for a split second, but she saw the determination in them, trying to hang on to the remaining shreds of his personality. They were like the TARDIS bells, telling her to leave. She couldn't find the strength to move her toes.

"Y-Your-" he said, "Your friend-is beyond-your-reach-! You-you can't-save-"

Her hopes quickly faded away. Inferno was fighting back. She didn't want him to. She wanted her Doctor back. The Doctor looked at her with fearful eyes.

"A-Amy-" he said, "-Ru-Run-!"

"I can't." was all she could say.

The Doctor froze and gaped with moist eyes. He looked at her as if he was afraid of her.

"Amy. . ." he said, "Oh, Amy, no. . .please, no-"

He cried out as he fell to his knees. Amy remembered the sonic screwdriver. If she could get to it, she could bring him back. It tortured him last time, but it was worth it. She reached towards his jacket, hoping that he put it in there. Her index finger barely touched the cloth of his longcoat.

She gasped as cold fingers wrapped around her wrist.

"No," the Doctor said, "Not again."

He looked at her with enraged eyes. His grip on her wrist tightened.

"_You won't do that again!_"

With an incredible, inhuman force, he jerked his hand back, still gripping her wrist. The bones in her wrist couldn't take the strain of the sudden pull, thus causing her hand to snap from her wrist joint. The sound of tearing flesh seemed amplified in her ears. Her dry throat wouldn't let her scream. The Doctor tossed her removed hand to the wall, crimson blood trailing it. The blood splattered onto the wall as the hand hit it. It quickly turned pale as it twitched and convulsed.

He quickly stood and kicked her to her back. The minute she tried to draw a sharp breath to scream, the Doctor kneeled down with one leg on her stomach. He dug his dull nails into the bottom of her neck as he started scratching and tugging. Warm blood poured from the wounds and down the sides of her neck. She could tell he was going for her windpipe, to make certain the only scream she could muster would be the last one. Amy tried to swat his hands away with her hand and beat his head with the bloody stump where her other hand used to be, spraying droplets of blood onto him and herself. The blood ran down his face like sweat.

"Why won't you scream?" he said in a disappointed tone, "Scream! Call for Rory! Say something, damn it!"

She wanted it to end. She wanted the pain to end. She needed Rory. He's a nurse. He could save her. Amy slashed the Doctor's cheek with her pointed black nails. The only result was four red scratches across his cheek. No sign of him releasing her.

She struggled to let air into her lungs, possibly due to the Doctor reaching the windpipe. Her vision grew darker and darker. The sounds of tearing meat and organs grew muffled. _Save me_ was the only thought in her head, playing like a broken record. _Save me. Save me._

_Sav-_

XXXXX

The Doctor regained his vision as he stood in a seemingly endless hallway. Dark silver moonlight seeped into the hall from the windows. The moon wasn't red anymore, thank goodness. But he noticed a gap in his memory. He remembered collapsing in a hall and a couple images of a frightened Amy. He reached up to his eye as he felt something in it. The minute his hand made contact with his eye, he felt a stinging pain. He jerked his hand back and observed it in fear. It was covered in blood. He looked down at his clothes. Blood. All over them.

"Oh, no," he said fearfully. He'd hurt someone. He didn't know who. He didn't want to know, but he had to. He whipped around and darted down the hall, hoping that whomever he harmed was alright. As he saw someone laying down onto the floor, a chill ran up his spine.

He entered the room the person was in. He got a better look at it as his pace slowed until he stopped in place. It was a woman. She had her hand on her throat, which was torn open. Her other hand was missing. He didn't want to know where it was. An expression of absolute terror was on her face, the mascara blended with the dry tears on her cheeks. He recognized her.

The Doctor collapsed to his knees, all energy drained from his legs. He reached for her pale hand with quaking fingers and held it in his hand. It was ice cold. Stinging hot tears welled up in his eyes. He held her hand closer to him.

"_NOOOO!_" he wailed, then he wept for God knows how long. Amy Pond, his friend, his companion. He had killed her. And he knew it. He knew it was all his fault. All of it.


	11. Chapter 11: The Only Way

**Eeyyyyyy. I haven't been getting a lot of reviews lately. I'd appreciate it if you did, please! I'd love your feedback!**

**Also, two chapters to go after this! I promise I'll end it with a bang!**

**Now back to the Doctor's. . .ahem. . .dilemma.**

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Rory nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard an earsplitting scream. He recognized the voice immediately. "_Amy!_" the voice yelled. It could only mean that the moon wasn't red anymore and something happened to Amy.

He unlocked the infirmary door and exited the room. He darted down every hall he could find, trying to locate the source of the screaming and weeping. If Amy was hurt, he could help her. He was a nurse after all. But the Doctor was crying. He prayed it didn't mean what he thought it did.

As he turned a corner and looked straight down the hallway, Rory saw two people. One was laying down and the other kneeled beside him or her. Whatever happened must've been serious.

As he stepped closer, he found that the person laying down was Amy with her neck torn open and hand missing. He just wanted to collapse to the floor and weep. But the other sight made him stay put, nearly frozen in place. The person next to Amy's body was on his knees, holding her remaining hand close to him with a seemingly tight grip. His clothes, like his hands, were covered in blood. He looked up at Rory and saw the horror in the person's expression. He was clearly in the process of grieving. Droplets of blood ran down the sides of his face. Red scratches were on his cheek. Some blood was smeared on his eye, but was mostly washed away due to the tears on his face.

"D-Doctor?" Rory stuttered, "Please tell me you didn't. . ."

The Doctor looked down at the lifeless husk that used to be Amy, a tear landing on her pale cheek. He looked back up at Rory. "I. . .I'm sorry. . ." he said, his voice soft and tearful, after a sniffle, "Rory. . .I'm so, so sorry. . ."

"Sorry?" Rory said, his temper rising, "How can you be sorry? You killed my wife!"

"I know. I never meant to-"

He was interrupted by an unexpected punch across his face. Didn't leave a single bruise. "Apparently, you did!" Rory snapped, "How else did you get so blood-covered? _Huh?_"

The Doctor's gaze wavered away from his and sighed sorrowfully. "I couldn't hold it back. I couldn't fight it. Believe me, I tried to stop him, but. . ." He looked as if he was choking down a sob. "But he. . ._it_. . .was far too strong."

Rory's expression softened. The punch was certainly a stress relief, but hearing what happened really extenguished the flame. He didn't kill her, he kept thinking to himself, he didn't kill her. The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Hang on," he said, "Rory, do you remember the Tesselecta? The robot I was in when River shot me?"

"Yeah, why? Are you gonna cheat death or something?"

"It's wrong, I know, but it's the only way to bring her back."

Rory folded his arms. "Can't we do it some other way?"

The Doctor shook his head. "We can't just pull her out of the way. It'll summon the Reapers."

"The what?"

"Anyway, death is irreversable. Amy has to die." Hope sparkled in his eyes. "Just not this Amy."

"So we. . .we can save her?"

"We can!" The Doctor stood up with a start, startling Rory. "I just need to contact it and drop it off to. . ." He counted with his fingers a couple of times. ". . .about three or so minutes before Amy dies."

"How can you contact it? Wasn't burned to a crisp?"

"Not even close," the Doctor said as he walked to the exit, Rory following close behind, "The Tesselecta can repair in a snap like the Hulk's healing factor. And when it comes to contacting it, I can spot its exact location in the TARDIS."

"You sure?"

"I'm always sure."

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"How can you be sure that you can track the Tesselecta-thing?" Rory asked, leaning against the TARDIS doors and standing beside the coat hanger with the Doctor's coat on it. The Doctor poked his head from behind the time rotor and said, "It's not a thing! Well, it kinda is. A shapeshifting robot is a thing, I guess."

The sans-coat Doctor stepped beside the console as the TARDIS began the dematerialization process. He pressed a couple buttons and pulled levers as he said, "And when it comes to contacting it, well. . .you know when you get a new friend on a socializing site or whatever and video chat with them all the time?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It's nothing like that."

The boys jumped when they heard static. The Doctor spun around and dashed to the console screen. The static faded away, revealing, a tall man with a buzz cut.

"Doctor, so good to hear from you again," the man said.

"So that's your disguise now?" the Doctor said, "What're you doing this time?"

"Long story."

"Okay, enough chat," the Doctor said, his voice low and serious, " I have a problem, and I need you to help me with it."

"What happened? Your face is scratched up."

"I. . ." the Doctor looked down, debating whether or not to tell them. He's lucky he remembered to get cleaned up, but he couldn't fix the scratches. He sighed. "I killed Amy."

Nothing came from the man on the screen, but he could tell the people inside were buzzing with surprise and disappointment. After nearly an eternity of silence, the man said, "What would you do that?"

The Doctor bit his lip. "I have Inferno, a disease that causes those who have it to kill. I was controlled by it, and it. . .it made me kill her."

The man remained silent. He almost seemed unwilling to help. The Doctor was prepared to stop the call.

"What do we need to do?" the man said.

The Doctor, eyes glimmering with hope, smiled, "I'll land the TARDIS to pick you up. You'll have to be Amy for a few minutes. After that, I'll drop you off to a few minutes before Amy dies. Find Amy and make certain she lives. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Okay, then! Setting the coordinates now. Thank you."

The Doctor canceled the call and put in the coordinates to America, 1951. Rory asked as the TARDIS made the materialization noise, "Are you sure it's gonna work?"

"It _will_ work!" the Doctor said, "If it could save me, it could save Amy."

"Hang on," Rory said, "I thought you said that you can't cross your own timeline?"

"I never said I was going to," the Doctor sat on the white seat beside the console. "I was planning on dropping the Tesselecta off near the spot that Amy was meant to die. That isn't interfering with my own timeline. Pulling her right into the TARDIS, now _that's_ interfering with me timeline."

"Good point."

The TARDIS materialized with a thump, slightly shaking the floor under Rory's feet. He stumbled and fell face-first onto the translucent floor, but he caught himself with his hands and knees. "That's why I sat down," the Doctor said as he straightened his burgandy bowtie. He stood and raced to the doors. Rory rolled his eyes and stood.

The Doctor opened the doors and saw Amy, or rather the Tesselecta. Although cold robotic eyes stared back at him, he was happy to see her again. He gestured for the robot to enter. It walked inside and the Doctor closed the doors behind it.

"Like that you dressed for the occassion," the Doctor said. All he could do was make a pun to prevent himself from getting more upset than he already was. To him, he could see Amy, alive and well. He mentally shook his head and hurried to the console to put in the coordinates to a few minutes before she died.

"Doctor?" Rory asked, "Wasn't the moon red at the time?"

The Doctor froze, his eyes wide. How could he have forgotten? He responded with a low voice, "Yes. Yes, it was."

"How are you gonna take us to the destination without you killing us all?" the surprisingly Scottish robot said.

"Can't I or the robot fly the TARDIS while you restrain yourself?" Rory suggested.

"Good idea, but no," the Doctor said, "Neither of you know how to fly her, for one. And two, only Time Lords can pilot TARDISes."

"Can't we change into you so we can pilot your ship?" the Tesselecta asked.

"How do we get back, then?"

The Tesselecta remained silent.

"So what do we do?" Rory asked.

The Doctor sighed as he pulled the lever. "I'll just have to hold on for as long as possible."

"And the coordinates back?"

"Plugging them in right now," the Doctor said as he pushed buttons, "I'll pull the lever once we drop off the Tesselecta."

"But how can you hold on for that long?" Rory asked.

"Time Lords have a better resistance rate than humans," the Doctor said, leaning on the console, "But it doesn't mean that we can hold on forever. Just a bit longer than humans ca-_!_"

A red hot surge went through him. He held his head with both hands as he felt something trying to reach his head.

"Doctor!" Rory cried out as he hurried towards him.

". . .get. .b-back. . !" the Doctor struggled to say. Rory took a few steps back and said to the Tesselecta, "Now's your time to shine."

The Tesselecta exited the TARDIS. Rory turned to face the Doctor and said, "Might wanna pull the lever now!"

"I'm trying!" the Doctor yelled back. He could tell that Inferno was trying to prevent him from pulling the lever to head back to the previous time. He still grabbed the lever and pulled it down with all of his might.

The TARDIS dematerialized.

The burning sensation vanished. He let his hands drop to his sides as he sighed in relief. "That was close."

"What now?" Rory asked.

"Once we get back to the time we were at, Amy should be in the TARDIS somewhere."

"Doctor?"

"What?" the Doctor asked as the TARDIS rematerialized.

Rory pointed at the Doctor's face and asked, "Aren't those scratches supposed to go away?"

"No," the Doctor responded, "In order to keep the point fixed, the Tesselecta reacted the same way Amy would."

"Rory?"

The familiar Scottish voice stopped his rambling. He was right. He turned to face Rory. "I think someone wants to talk to you."

"Kinda figured that out," Rory said. He walked closer to the stairs to the next floor, which was the source of the voice. "Yeah?"

"Is it safe?" the voice asked.

Rory turned to face the Doctor, who nodded. "It's safe," Rory said, "You can come out now."

A frightened woman stepped down the stairs to the console. Her eyes lit up when she saw Rory. "Rory!" she said as she hurried downstairs and tackled Rory with a hug. Almost weeping, she said, "Rory, I was so scared!"

Rory softly shushed his wailing wife and said, "It's okay. I was scared, too."

The Doctor leaned on the console, watching Rory comfort the now living Amy. He couldn't help but smile to see that the girl who waited was back. A sudden thought crossed his mind. What was going to do about Inferno? Brooke didn't have the cure for it. Did she?

"Right," the Doctor said, clapping his hands together a single time, "Time to get back to business."

"What do you mean?" Rory asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" he said, stopping by the doors, "We need the cure from Brooke."


	12. Chapter 12: Final Showdown

**Sorry for the short chapter. I'm just tryin' to save the best for last.**

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The TARDIS materialized inside the "Area 9 Diggers" building. The trio rushed out of the phone box and into the hallway. The Doctor remembered that he had regained control in this hallway, but he prevented himself from thinking about finding Amy's body because she's alive.

"Hey, Doc," a female voice said form behind the TARDIS. The Doctor turned to see Brooke emerging from behind it. She eyed the TARDIS with a smile on her face. "Someone's desperate."

"Don't call me Doc," he said, "And I had to in order to let Amy live."

"So the 'Amy' you killed earlier wasn't her? The 'real' her was in a different timeline?" She glanced at Amy, who actually cowered behind Rory. "If only I heard her scream."

"Enough."

"Maybe I still can."

Brooke strode over to Amy, only to be blocked by Rory as he said, "Hands off!"

"Who said I'm gonna use my hands?"

She elbow-jabbed his throat. He gagged once before collapsing. She walked towards her target. Amy bolted. Brooke rushed after her. The Doctor hurried to Rory and checked his pulse. Faint, but fine enough.

Amy hissed in pain. The Doctor looked up. She held her side. A cramp, maybe. Brooke pinned her to the wall with her forearm. The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Let's see how loud you scream," Brooke said as she stroked Amy's cheek with a sharp fingernail.

"Don't you harm her in any way!" he yelled.

Brooke peered at him. She rolled her eyes and said, "Alright, spit it out. You landed indoors for a reason. What do you want?"

"The cure."

Brooke snickered. "Well, I guess you're flat outta luck. I haven't made it yet and wasn't planning to."

The Doctor looked at Amy, trying to pry Brooke's forearm off of her neck. I'm sorry, he mouthed.

"You'll have to scare the hell outta me if you want me to make it," Brooke said, "And that's a challenge. Oh, speaking of which. . ."

She took a button out of her pocket, the same button that would change the moon's color. No, he thought. "I think it's about time, don't you think? You know, to scare the hell out of a couple people here?"

"Don't," the Doctor said, standing up, "Please, don't."

"Sorry, magic words don't work with me." Brooke looked at the helpless Amy. "Bye, girlie."

"No!" the Doctor shouted.

She pushed the button. A red light seeped through the windows. Brooke let the device fall from her hands.

The surge emerged again. He doubled over and held his head. He would not lose the battle. Not this time. "Doctor!" Amy squealed.

"He'll be fine," Brooke said with a sinister tone, "He won't die. You might, though."

"Doctor, help!"

He couldn't. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't. He tightened his grip as he felt his control slipping, his mind filling with thoughts even the Master wouldn't think of. The Doctor looked up at Amy, her eyes filled with terror. He couldn't help but think that he might kill her again. And he won't get her back this time.

His control continued to slip away. Only a fragment of the Doctor was left. He couldn't think of any plans of escape, for the creature was inside him. He could never escape from that.

". . .s. . .so. . .rry. . ." was all he could muster.


	13. Chapter 13: And They're Off

**Final chapter! Goin' out with a bang! That's really all I can say about this chapter.**

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The Doctor quickly sat up in the TARDIS, his vision hazy. He felt that he might lose half a stone as he felt dizzy. As his vision cleared, he glanced at his blood-free hands. Did he actually not kill anyone? That's a first.

"Doctor?"

He looked to his side and saw Amy kneeling beside him with a loose red button in her hand. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," the Doctor nearly stuttered, "What happened?"

"Right when the moon wasn't red anymore, you fainted. I destroyed the button so it can't turn red anymore."

"Why didn't I think of that?" The Doctor soon shook his head. "Actually, don't answer that."

He snapped his fingers as he said, "Right. Three questions: Where's Brooke, how's Rory, and am I cured?"

"Taken care of, fine in our room, and technically."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'taken care of?'"

"Well. . .you kind of, um. . ."

/_Amy watched in terror as Inferno consumed the Doctor. She could tell from his stance and the way he was screaming that we was losing the battle. A warm tear ran down her cheek._

_He froze. The screaming stopped. She couldn't stop quivering. The Doctor released his grip on his head and let his hands drop to his sides. He stood straight. A look of pure, bitter hatred was on his face. She thought that she would never see such an expression on him._

_It wasn't focused on her, though._

_"Great!" Brooke said, "Now that all of the guests have arrived, we should go on with the show."  
_

_She reached into her pocket and took out a swiss army knife. She flicked the blade up with a thumb and motioned it around Amy's neck as she said, "I've always wondered if blood would just squirt out of a neck like in the movies. Let's see, why don't we?"_

_Amy braced herself as the knife motioned closer and closer to her neck. She couldn't defend herself. Rory's knocked out cold. The Doctor's taken over by Inferno. The blade came closer to her neck./_

As Amy explained the details of what happened, a grim expression formed on his face. He knew that where she stopped was not all just from looking at her horrified eyes, He choked down a lump in his throat and continued to listen,

_/__She flinched when a hand grabbed Brooke's armed wrist. Brooke yelped as the Doctor pulled her to the floor. Her knife tumbled beside Amy's quaking feet. The Doctor grabbed the knife and pinned Brooke to the floor with his knee. He raised the blade and swung it down like a guillotine into her chest. Amy jumped when the knife sunk into Brooke's flesh. He pulled the knife free and stabbed her again, five times in quick succession._

_"Okay, okay," Brooke said quickly through her panting, "Remember when I said that I'd make the cure if you scared the hell outta me?"_

_The Doctor positioned the blade on her throat, ready to strike._

_"You succeeded," she said, "If you let me go, I'll get right to work on it!"_

_He just stared at her with cold eyes. Amy quickly picked up the device, looking frantically for the button. The Doctor thrusted the blade deep into her throat. Brooke gagged as blood dripped from the wound. He twisted it as he said, "I don't want the cure."_

_He stopped twisting the knife as she ceased her movements. Amy couldn't believe what she saw. The raggedy man had actually, willingly, taken a life._

_He stood, blood all on his hands. Amy shuddered when he looked at her. She held the device firm in her hands. She needed to change the moon back before he could attack. Please work, please work, she thought._

_She pushed the button._/

"I. . .I killed her?" he said.

Amy looked down. "Yeah."

"Then how come-?"

"I cleaned you up."

The Doctor sighed. He hoped that he didn't kill anyone, but he clearly did. It certainly did the right thing with punishing the enemy, but he never fully intended to kill her. He never wanted her to die to begin with.

A sudden thought struck him. "How'd I get in here?"

"You were carried," Amy said.

"Who-?"

Someone with a long black dress walked past him. The Doctor turned to see a woman with curly blond hair standing at the doors. He gaped. He thought that he would never see her again. She looked at him and smiled. Only two words passed her lips before she exited the TARDIS: "Hello, sweetie."

He was speechless. He swore that the last time they would see each other was at the Singing Towers. He never expected that she would be here.

"She just needs to destroy the source of the disease," Amy said, "And we're good to go."

The Doctor sighed. "Go see Rory."

"Huh?"

"Just to chat with him for a bit," the Doctor said as he shakily stood, "I need some time to myself."

"Okay. . ?" Amy stood and dashed up the stairs to their room. As soon as she was out of sight, he walked to the console and leaned on it. Was he really cured? Of course not. The button was only destroyed, so Inferno is still inside him. But since the button can't function anymore, the moon can no longer turn red, therefore not releasing Inferno. But how did his wife know about these events?

It made no sense.

Unless. . .

Unless Amy found a way to contact her. She must've activated the SOS systems. How did she get them to work, though? He had them shut down for the longest time.

And about "destroying the source," was she going to fill the hole back up? No, that couldn't be the case. Diseases can't form underground. So something else must have caused the Silurians' extinction. That would mean that Brooke created the virus. Of course!

At the corner of his eyes, Amy stood at the top of the stairs with Rory by her side. That was quick, he thought.

"Doctor?" Rory said, "Can you drop us off back home? It's just for a couple weeks."

". . .Right," the Doctor said, looking down, "You need recovery time. Perfectly understandable." He immediately plugged in the coordinates to present day Leadworth, pushing a button here and pulling a switch there. At least he didn't really have to wait two weeks. He could always go forward in time.

He had his hand on the lever. A strange reflection caught his eye.

The Doctor looked at the panel. He saw his own reflection, but he had a ruthless glare in his eyes, and he wore the devil's smile.

He rubbed his eyes, then looked again.

Only his regular reflection remained. Was his mind playing tricks on him?

"Are you alright?" Rory asked.

"Yeah," the Doctor responded, keeping his eyes on the panel, "Yeah, I'm fine."

He pulled the lever down, setting the TARDIS in motion. Not once did his eyes leave the panel, for he feared that Inferno might take it over, or possibly him. Not possible, sure, for the red moon is no more, but not impossible.


End file.
